He had recently joined Hamilton Fire, hired on full-time on April 25 as a paramedic firefighter. Prior to his service in Hamilton, Wolterman worked for the Colerain Fire Department for six years and at the Fairfield Township Fire Department for one year.

Co-workers said he was a man of integrity and a dedicated firefighter who knew how to make his crew laugh.

"For me it's just an emptiness," Lt. Dave Holzberger said.

"It is gut-wrenching. It is unexplainable," said firefighter Jason Callihan.

Through the sadness felt at Station 25 and among all Hamilton firefighters, laughter was found in memories and stories of their fallen brother.

"Probably nothing we can talk about," Holzberger said as he and Callihan laughed together. They said some inside jokes are better kept within the brotherhood.

"He would stay out of the fray a lot, but he would pick his moments and then throw in this great zinger that nobody saw coming and it was always perfect timing," Holzberger said.

From the day Wolterman was hired on, Holzberger and Callihan said they knew they had a good one.

"When he would set his alarm just a little bit early to get out of bed so he could beat me to the dishwasher, just little things like that made him a special dude, a special guy," Callihan said.

Co-workers said it was nearly impossible to treat Wolterman like the new guy. Having previously worked at Colerain and Fairfield Township, Wolterman was one step ahead of the rookie game.

"He walks in. He had almost arrogance about him, in a good way. You could tell he wasn't concerned, he wasn't nervous," Callihan said. "He came right in and just like he'd been there for 10 years and he was home. It was great."

He was a dedicated and passionate firefighter, his brothers said.

"On EMS runs, he was phenomenal," Callihan said.

In stressful situations, like the recent Beckett Paper Mill fire, Callihan said Wolterman was one of his brothers that he turned to.

"I looked back and Pat was calm. He had a calming effect on me. I would never tell Pat that, but he did and we got there and he was amazing," Callihan said.

"We love Pat. He was one of us and even though he was with us only a short time. I lost a brother, and there's an emptiness in me now," Holzberger said.

Those who knew him said Wolterman always put the safety of the community above his own.

"We say we know the risks, we know the dangers, we know what can happen, but I never believed it. It's never been a reality until this week," Callihan said.

A federal agency has joined the investigation into the death of the Hamilton firefighter. Investigators said they want as many eyes as they can get on the investigation to make sure nothing is missed.

At this point, they said they do not have a cause, nor have they said where the fire may have started.